Human Trafficking

Before you read my blog, please read the website article below. Please note that the content in the article is very disturbing and caution is advised. I will disclose my reason for posting it in my blog.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5445704/

Sad right? Well… this blog is to help you become aware of the worldwide epidemic of human trafficking and how you can contribute to the awareness which can ultimately aid in its ending. By definition, human trafficking is the commerce and trade in the movement or migration of people, legal and illegal for the purposes of slavery, prostitution, forced labor and servitude. The 5 year old “adopted” African boy was “trafficked” through the adoption system for the purposes of sexual slavery. This problem is overwhelming on a monumental scale and the percentages of the victims are not accurate because the crime can be difficult to detect in the forefront.

Below are highlights according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics from the Human Trafficking Reporting System (HTRS) from January 1, 2007, to September 30, 2008: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cshti08.htm

• 1,229 alleged incidents of human trafficking were reported to the task forces from January 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008
• Most (83%) of the reported incidents involved allegations of sex trafficking. Labor trafficking accounted for 12% of incidents, and other or unknown forms of human trafficking made up 5%
• Information on the number of suspects was available for 475 alleged human trafficking incidents. Among these, task forces reported 871 known suspects and arrest data on 216 suspects.
  

This problem exists on both an international and domestic scale. From my understanding, the way that it works on a domestic level is surrounded mostly by runaway teens and immigrates that come to the US. Predators lure immigrates to the US by offering them promising career opportunities such as housekeeping, waitressing or babysitting. As the victim appeals to the offer, they are transferred to a location in the US, aka hot spots, and introduced to the world slavery. Runaways are easy targets for predators to manipulate. Since they lack love and affection at home, they are susceptible to believing anyone that gives them attention. This allows the predator to take advantage of the victim as they are nice and persuasive to them. Once the predator has the victims in their control, the victim is trafficked throughout the state(s) forced prostitution or slavery.

It might seem impossible to track the predators/criminal and locates victims/survivors. It is insinuated that if the victim is not found w/I 48 hours of being trafficked, they will most likely never be found. Please do not lose faith or hope for the rescue of these innocent woman and children! The way that you can help is by being observant in your community. Below are easy actions you can do that might save lives of these types of victims:

Be observant in your community and look for these signs:

• Strange noises (i.e. screaming, yells, etc) coming from nearby house
• Many men coming in and out of a home
• Different women or children being rushed into the home.
• If you or anyone might be experiencing these symptom w/I your/their community, please contact 911 and report it.
  

Hotline:
If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the Trafficking Information and Referral Hotline at 1.888.3737.888. This hotline will help you determine if you have encountered victims of human trafficking, will identify local resources available in your community to help victims, and will help you coordinate with local social service organizations to help protect and serve victims so they can begin the process of restoring their lives. For more information on human trafficking visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.

References:
Below is a list of movie or gatherings that can give you a deeper insight into human trafficking:

Cargo: Lost Innocence, movie, documentary - http://www.cargoinnocencelost.com/home.html

Trade, movie - http://www.tradethemovie.com/

Taken, movie - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taken_(film)

Conference - http://www.prostitutionconference.com/

Websites -
http://www.bsccoalition.org/index.html
http://www.captivedaughters.org/index.htm
http://lahumantrafficking.org/
http://www.prostitutionresearch.com/
http://www.sagesf.org/

Sea of Glass

Enjoy this poem I wrote :)

I stand on the edge of a known sea cliff

Overlooking the celestial view of sea before me

The night creeps in

And I am standing here, once again

I stand on the edge of this place

My toes feel the sheer breeze that begins to linger on my face

No warmth ever stays at this place

I passed the sign which read “DO NOT ENTER HERE”

I know it’s because it’s not what it appears

Crystal midnight blue majestic waves

But underneath the site lays a valley of graves

Floating like silk dancing in the wind

Curiosity is its beat friend

At the edge is where we can chose to leap

Leap into this deep blue sea

They told me it would make me feel free

No worries…

Only the pleasure of the sea’s company

The moonlight shines against moving waves

Choppy rhythms, my eyes are locks

Holding me back is this mountain of rocks

This wind, it draws me in

Singing something sweet, alluring me to take this leap

Is it the trill, the moment, this timeless second?

Forget it!

I’ll do it! I jump being lead by my hand

Doing so, I then realize this is the Sea of Glass

Today is a good day for health!

http://www.fitday.com

This is a cool site that I found that helps people track calories and weight goals ;) My current IBM is 28.97

A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 30 is considered overweight.

The healthy weight range for my height is between

118.1

lbs and

159.6

lbs. My weight is 25.4 lbs above the healthy range :(

Sucks.. I know.... but I am planning to get better and eat healthier:)

I really like this site and I will be using it and putting my updates here :) I have included recent pictures of myself so that you can see that I already stared a healthier lifestyle and lost weight. However, I have platoed in losing weight, I have already lost 26 lbs and am finding it hard to lose the rest of my desired weight.

Hopefully, this site will help me monitor my calories.






This picture is me at my heaviest weight, 211 lbs.
This was taken in April of 2009

This picture was taken August of 2009.
Here I have lost 26 pounds from April and weigh 185 lbs :)







Its a tough road but I am pleased w/ my current results ;)

Wish me the best on my journey to a healthier lifestyle :D

~Messy J

Who Am I?

Last night I was talking with my husband about who we were to each other. He came up with a great and fun idea to describe things that we do but do not notice that we do them. For instance, he told me that I change my mind on the outfits that I will wear before we go out and he noted that I usually chose the 3rd outfit. Therefore, a part of me is indecisive when it comes to my choice clothing and my appearance. In other words, I care that much to go through the motions of changing instead of being content with what I had on first. Who we are is combined with our POV (point of view), the POV from those closest to us and POV of our enemies.

I can tell you that I am just a normal woman, in my opinion. I can let you know that I am an introvert, complicated, etc. However, does that truly define me? No! You might think that I am talented or a charming woman or even manipulative, but you have defined me in your opinion and there is truth to it because your interpretation is of who you know me as. Your point of view of me is just as valid as mine and, therefore, we are defined by our relationships. We are defined by other’s points of views because they can highlight other aspects and qualities that you or I have that we cannot see.

There is a popular saying, “show me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.” This is true, we are defined in pieces and they are valid interpretations of who we are because we cannot be defined by our own perceptions.

Not sure if this makes sense but it is just a thought in my head

Happy Blogging :)

Be Blessed,
Jessy

Life... It kinda matters!

Our lives are precious and should not be squandered away on
irrelevant things. One can ask, “What is irrelevant?” I guess everyone is wired
differently but if you could just take the time to say a simple hello to
someone outside your usual circle, you could be changing a mind set or
situation in a major way. Instead of being judgmental, love and love unconditionally.
It’s ok to give constructive criticism,
but know that some people are sensitive; so do it in a kind and loving way! When
you drive, drive with caution, getting mad at the person who cut you off only
sheds years of your life, causing harmful stress. When you are on the phone
with a friend or relative and you are annoyed that they are talking a lot, be
happy that they are on the phone with you. Some people have to talk to those
they have loved and lost through a prayer or graveside and wish they were
having a long relaxed conservation with them. Try not to eat fast food all the time;
it really is bad for you. Take time to mediate and relax because it’s ok to be
off the Internet or to put down the phone to clear your mind. ITS ‘S OK TO MAKE
MISTAKES!!!! Mistake helps you to become a stronger person. You can teach
others from your past wrong doings. Also, do not pay attention to those that
judge your mistakes, they do not understand what they do when they judge a
person and attack their character.

Life is too short! While it is hard to walk a path that is righteous
and pleasing to all, try to make better discussions because tomorrow is not
promised to us. So just THINK about your next steps wisely and try… try… try…
to take care of your only and precious life!

My First Blog

Hi... i am not sure how to add people... so add me if you are reading this. I was bored at work and was reading my sisters blog and decided to create an account.

This room is the "idea room", where I will share my thoughts and very random ideas. From time to time I might get a little religious but its all good advice or guidelines to follow or hear. Nothing is new under the sun.

I have a hamster and her name is Dalila. Now that she is in my life, I feel complete! I hope you know that I am kidding... but I am not kidding at all. I know, i make no sense. I say, "if it don't make dollars... it don't make sense!"



Rudy is my hubby... he's a pretty cool guy and I learn a lot from him. Sometimes I'll ask him a very SIMPLE question and he explodes my brain w/ more info then I needed. Its ok, my little tiny brain might run on overdrive but I am sure something was retained ;)

Well... thats all I can think about.

Idea for the today -- there should be a huge bridge or highway that connects from NC to Cali. Why hasn't this happen?